Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 NLT
Disciple. Discipling. Discipleship. These are words mostly used in Christian settings. In fact, they are so unaccustomed in typical settings that when I first began writing years ago, the correction function on my computer continually tried to replace the words.
Truth is, though, we Christians don’t often have the “discipleship deal” understanding that Jesus and the early church had. You will never find the words “discipling” or “discipleship” in the New Testament. There is one word: disciple. Disciple is who you are. You are either a disciple, or you are not. Becoming a disciple does not happen through the transfer of information from one mind to another. Jesus did not simply gather people in a classroom or even on a hillside and fill their heads with knowledge. He invited them to walk with Him, watch Him, listen to Him, imitate Him, and eventually live like Him.
That is how a disciple is made. It is accepting His invitation to follow Him and then staying with Jesus intimately long enough that His heart begins to shape ours. His priorities become ours and they reshape our lives. We change in a myriad of ways. His humility confronts our pride, and pride dissolves. His compassion becomes our lens for life. His obedience to His Father challenges us to obey fully and quickly. His love changes the way we see everyone and everything.
A disciple does not simply believe what Jesus taught. A disciple is committed to becoming a person who naturally lives the way Jesus lived. That is why John Mark Comer describes practicing the “way” as …
- Being with Jesus
- Becoming like Jesus
- Doing as Jesus did
Knowledge does not produce disciples. A hopeful statement has masqueraded as truth in our society. “When you know better, you do better.” Hopeful, but far too often not true. Simply knowing right doesn’t lead to doing right. A person can know Scripture deeply and remain impatient, fearful, prideful, harsh, or any other un-Christlike manner. A disciple is made when transformation occurs through relationship, practice, correction, service, prayer, sacrifice, and mission.
- I am not “on the way to becoming a disciple.” I either am or I am not. Have I decided to follow Jesus? If so, “disciple” is my priority and job description in life.